By MATT PATNEAUDE

Will the real Seattle Storm please stand up?

While women's professional basketball is returning to Seattle this June with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, two lesser known men's and women's Seattle Community College basketball teams, called Seattle C.C. Storm, have just finished their respective inaugural seasons.

While the Seattle C.C. Storm teams are fielded by North Seattle Community College, they actually represent the entire Seattle Community College District.

The Storm nickname was chosen by NSCC students in a contest last spring, well before Seattle was awarded a WNBA franchise.

The college then trademarked the name, which has been used on both uniforms and posters, said NSCC Athletic Director Mark Mitsui. He said when the WNBA franchise chose the Storm nickname a few months later, "it was a surprise to us."

Mitsui added that NSCC promptly contacted the WNBA team to notify them of the conflicting names, but the pro team has yet to respond. "We were hoping to hear something from them," he said.

The school is currently looking into what can be done administratively to alleviate the situation.

The Jet City Maven was not able to get a comment from the WNBA regarding the name conflict.

In the meantime, here's a look at how NSCC's Storm teams fared in their debut seasons.

Recap of last season

On the court, it was a learning and building year for both the men's and women's squads at NSCC. Getting the teams together and on the court was a process that spanned the past several years. Final approval was given to the teams by the school's Board of Trustees just last spring. They participate in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges which encompasses schools throughout Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

The men's team finished the season with 3 wins and 13 losses in their division, and an 8-19 overall record. Many of their contests were down to the wire affairs, with the last five minutes often deciding the outcome. Five of the losses were by six points or less.

Men's Coach Billy Rodgers emphasized playing pressure defense with a fast break offense to utilize the team's abundance of explosive perimeter players.

Emeka Enyinwa, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, led the men in scoring at nearly 22 points a game. Enyinwa's performance has generated interest from several four-year schools including potential scholarship offers from Seattle University, Evergreen State College, and North Dakota State University. Also scoring in double figures for the men's team at 10 points a game was 6-foot-7 forward Peter Perez.

The men's team will return at least five experienced players next season, including point guard Maurice Hines. Hines, a graduate of Nathan Hale High School, led the team in assists this year with 3 a game. Another player to watch next season is shooting guard David Parker. Parker, who stands 6-foot-1, is a leaper who didn't play high school basketball, but came on to have two 20 point games this season.

The women's team saved its best for last, defeating Olympic Community College 54-46 in the season finale on Feb. 19. It was the team's lone victory for the year.

Being undersized, and only having seven players on the squad, the team was usually playing at a disadvantage. However, that didn't stop their determination as they continued to work hard and get better throughout the season.

NSCC Women's Athletic Commissioner Tana Roberts said the determination on the women's faces was never more evident than in the game against Olympic. "There was no way they were going to lose that last game," said Roberts. The women were well respected by opponents for their tenacity and sportsmanship. Guard Denisha Saucedo led the women in scoring.

Women's Coach Brad Gagne will have four seasoned women players returning next season to go along with new recruits that will be brought into the program.